Chesapeake Home

New dining and living room display at IKEA Baltimore.

Thursday morning,  I headed to IKEA Baltimore to join other media types for a sneak preview of IKEA’s 2011 catalog. If you’ve ever been to an IKEA, you know they are sort of laid out like casinos — the walkways lead past what they want you to see, maybe not necessarily what you came looking for.  The benefit of this is that the first few room settings one sees when entering any IKEA store have been designed to show off what’s new.  At the preview, we were given a tour of five new designer rooms that coordinated new lighting, accessories and furnishings with items from previous catalog years. The 2011 focus seems to be all about organization.  We previewed rooms for single women on a budget, the successful bachelor, the active family, and others, but the common goals of organization, multi-function, and versatility were guiding factors for the design of every room, regardless of style.  2011 is also all about media–storing and organizing the flat screen TVs, high-def receivers, Blu-ray players, Xboxes, and more in an attractive functional way.

No surprise (even though I’m a married man) the bachelor’s room appealed to me most.  The all white, black, and dark chocolate scheme had a comfortable stylish, modern, appeal.  Probably not safe for kids, but perfect for setting a sophisticated tone. The large, open dining and living room was also really successful as it incorporates a ton of products and really shows how different peices coordinate.

On location in Harbor East since establishing a pop-up store for the 2009 winter holiday season, Patrick Sutton Home is staying put, at least for now.  Although Sutton has eventual plans for moving to a new location close by, the store recently welcomed guest for a summer preview of new lines and original work from local artist Leslie Shellow.

Shellow’s work is great, as were PSH’s well-edited selection of furnishings and accessories.  Favorites include the transparent arm chair, an antique Balinese carved stag’s head, and the brown leather bar stools with high polish chrome finish.  Check out the photo gallery . . .

There is a small, manageable farm that opens to the public in early spring every year with fresh fruits and vegetables and a little family fun. Located in Upperco, Maryland, just north of Reisterstown, Spring Meadow Farms is a family-owned farm market where you can find local seasonal produce as well as annual and perennial flowers. This quite and inviting setting is home to ice cream socials and Friday night Bingo in the summer time. And on Sundays from 9am to 4pm, they even have pony rides for the little ones.

I like to take my family their starting in the spring to visit the small petting farm with goats, sheep, geese, chickens, peafowl and horses. Children are allowed to feed the animals and have lots of fun watching the baby animals grow over the summer months.

While the children are having fun with the animals, hay maze, and small tractor bikes, I usually busy myself by surveying the myriad of flowers and vegetables. Summer crops include fresh local sweet corn, lopes, tomatoes, and more fresh items from local Baltimore and Carroll county farms. They also carry fresh produce for the Eastern Shores of Maryland, Virginia and also quality produce from the Lancaster County  Amish area of Leola Pennsylvania.  

After the children get hot and tired, we walk to the beginning of the farm where they have delicious ice cream treats from soft swirls to sundaes to milkshakes…and they are fantastic at a very reasonable price. If ice cream isn’t your thing, they have scrumptious snow balls in a variety of different flavors.

And on the other side of the farm parking lot, you’ll find a new addition to the Spring Meadow Farms amenities, The Dog House. You can get cook-to-order ribs, chili cheese dogs, beef brisket and even a jumbo shrimp salad sandwich…which is mouth-watering. It is definitely worth visiting while you are at the farm.

Besides locally grown produce Spring Meadow Farms has a small country market that sells jams, jellies, and sauces as well as candles, nuts, candies, aprons and gardening supplies. It’s a great little place to visit to shop for your garden or your home.

I must confess, I haven’t been to Friday night Bingo, but it looks enticing. Every Friday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. or until the balls stop rolling, people of all ages are invited to play. Three cards for a dollar or 35 cents a card. I am definitely going to give it a try this summer…and so should you if you want some low-key, family-friendly fun.

Contact info:

Spring Meadow Farms: springmeadowfarms.com or 410.239.8505

Foie Gras Torchon with Wood Grilled Strawberries

Recently I attended a wine dinner at PAZO and enjoyed a variety of Spanish wines I had never tasted, some just being introduced to the U.S. market, and had my first opportunity to sample the Tony Foreman reinvented PAZO menu. If you’ve never been to a wine dinner, they provide great opportunities to taste and enjoy food and wine you might not otherwise order (or that might not even be currently available), to have the two appropriately paired, and to receive a mini-education in geography, agriculture, and history along the way.

Represented at the dinner were Spanish wines selected by “wine goddess” Victoria Ordonez. Many of the wines featured were produced by her family’s winery Jorge Ordonez & Co., while others were produced in collaborations between her family and other Spanish wine makers to take advantage of grape varieties not grown in the Ordonez vineyards of Malaga in the coastal mountain region of Andalusia, Spain. The menu consisted of eight food courses developed specifically by Tony Foreman to pair with the seven selected wines, on which Victoria offered insights throughout the evening.

I’ve included a scan of the menu in the photo gallery along with some shots of the cuisine, so I won’t bother describing everything in-depth. However, some of the culinary highlights were the seafood tapas, the foie gras, and the main course rice dish.

Merluza a la Plancha with Forest Mushrooms, Spring Onions, Lobster Sauce

The Merluza (a kind of Hake) tapas was delicious and I am pleased to see that it is included on the current PAZO Menu. It worked nicely with the Botani Moscatel, which was a real treat as dry Moscatels are uncommon. Although I occasionally enjoy the more typical sweet Moscatel, I prefer dryer whites, and this was my first opportunity to try a dry Moscatel. It won’t be my last. The Botani tasted of minerality and tropical fruit, and, to achieve its dryness, Victoria explained that the grapes are harvested earlier than they would be for the typical, sweeter Moscatel.

The foie gras, which Foreman made himself, was also excellent. In the traditional torchon method, poaching then molding the foie gras gives it a nice firmness, which I prefer to other preparations — the wood grilled strawberries were a tasty complement.

My favorite course of the evening was a rice dish with wood-grilled rabbit, snails, rosemary, leeks, and peas. With two main ingredients (snails and rabbit) that I had never tried, I was definitely a little apprehensive. I shouldn’t have been. Although my first bites were cautious, by the time I got to my third helping I completely forgot “what” I was eating—just goes to show how the narrow list of foods typical to an American diet are so limiting. This dish was also paired with three really tasty Spanish reds—two of which were my favorites of the evening. I must admit I don’t remember any of the tasting notes enough to include them here, but I do recall thoroughly enjoying the Bodegas Triton Temperanillo and especially the Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha, which really blew me away, it is exactly what I love in a red wine—richly flavored, full-bodied, and smooth.

Although, PAZO doesn’t have any wine dinners scheduled in the near future that I know of, they offer the experience as often as they can. If you have the opportunity, it is worth checking out. With a chance to taste a great variety of wines and Foreman planning the menu, you’ll definitely leave satisfied.

Check out the Photo Gallery

More about PAZO and Victoria Ordonez:
jorge-ordonez.es
pazorestaurant.com
victoriaordonez.wordpress.com

For a full photo gallery of the Show House, go HERE

For a video tour of the Show House, go HERE

This year’s Symphony Decorator’s Show House presented by the Baltimore Symphony Associates is—in a word—a masterpiece. Located on Woodholme Avenue in Pikesville, this 1925 Tudor style home was renovated by some of the top artisans and home professionals working today. Here are a few highlights of my recent visit:

Panda-Inspired Sun Porch

The Entrance
When you first visit the house, you are immediately met with a Medieval-like plank front door that doesn’t exactly set the tone for the inside landscape. The restoration of the wooden floors by Danzco Hardwood Flooring evokes more of a warm and inviting tone to the design of the house. The entrance to each room is framed in a rich original wood frame that is a stunning and unique accent. There are also handmade wooden built-ins throughout the home that give it an inviting feel. The designer, Joyce Motsinger, added a touch a whimsy to the intricately designed foyer with mosaic floor tiles with animal figures dotting the design.

The Sun Porch
Another element of the home that is carefully woven into a tranquil and quiet retreat is the Sun Porch. I have seen many uses of bamboo in this area of the home before, but residential designer Susan Herbert from SH Interior Design, LLC took this concept to a playful new level. The Sun Porch has a panda theme with wood moldings painted with Benjamin Moore matte black paint, outlined with alabaster white matte. There are also two large canvas paintings of panda bears mirroring one another climbing up bamboo trees. It works. It’s fun, it’s inviting, and it’s unique.

"Vanity Fair" Bathroom

Upper Bathroom “Vanity Fair”
This unbelievable bathroom restoration is modern and rustic all in one. Gatehouse Interiors and Amy Neill & Co. Inc. gave the space up-to-date tiles, a dramatic new vanity, accent lighting, and accessories that brought this room back to life. The translucent vanity is chic with clean lines and is accented by artistic touches like the hand-painted vanity seat.

The Kitchen
Twin Diamond Studios introduced an inventive new countertop product that is as durable as granite, but leaves the most minimal environmental footprint possible. This sleek and sophisticated product is applied over the existing countertop so the cost is more affordable than other products on the market. With limitless edging possibilities, they are three times harder than normal concrete, but have phenomenal flexibility. It’s a genius alternative to other products that are currently on the market. Kudos to Stacey and Derek Tranter at Twin Diamond Studios for their innovation.

Wood Hammock

Baby Room
The most important element of the nursery is color. And while black, white, and purple are not three colors you would expect to find in a child’s room, the combo works! Simply Put Interiors, Inc.’s Paula Henry did an outstanding job creating this “Starstruck” nursery with a custom paint finish. The room is covered in a glittery wall treatment, with the exception of a silver-leaf medallion from which a delicate chandelier is dropped. A beautiful round crib with star finials is the centerpiece of this space.

Accessories
Some other notable elements of this home can be found outside. RF Construction Landscaping created a water garden and a pond with aquatic plants, while Claire Jones Landscapes, LLC created drama with plants in different textures, colors, and shapes. One of the most luxurious outdoor accessories is the wooden hammock that looks large enough for a small family to lounge.

The Woodholme Baltimore Symphony Decorators’ Show House will be open to the public from May 8 to May 30. See above link for additional details and contact information.

Next week we’ll be highighting some of our favorite elements of the 2010 BSO Decorator’s Show House, which opens tomorrow, May 8 and runs through the end of the month.  Until then, check out this video of the spaces and interviews with some of the designers, courtesy our friends at The Baltimore Sun. If you haven’t already, I suggest reading Susan Reimer’s preview of the house — just scroll down below the video on BaltimoreSun.com for her full story and take-home tips from the designers. Not enough?  The Baltimore Sun’s great photo gallery of the house offers a behind-the-scenes before and after preview.

"Ones to Watch" nominee Annie Elliott (left) and guest.

Home to luxury home-interiors trade showrooms that feature high-style furniture, fabrics, accessories, and more, the Washington Design Center (WDC) also keeps its figurative finger on the pulse of the mid-Atlantic design community. Every time I visit the WDC, I come back with story ideas and new favorite “must-have” elements of décor, so when I got the invite to the “Ones to Watch” cocktail reception honoring exceptionally talented, up-and-coming designers in the DC area, I made sure to arrive early enough to pop into some of my favorite showrooms.

Of course best laid plans were derailed by a late meeting at the office and DC traffic, but I still arrived early enough to catch the Hines & Company showroom open, so I popped in to check out in person some of the fabrics we feature in our current (April/May 2010) story on the “Floral Factor.”

While I didn’t get to do the full tour of showrooms, I was plenty early for the cocktail reception where I got to catch up with old friends and meet some of the young designers nominated for the “Ones to Watch” award.

Of the 12 talented designers nominated as “Ones to Watch,” three winners were selected to receive the inaugural honor:

• Tricia Huntley of Huntley and Company
• Sandra Meyers of Sandra Meyers Design Studio, LLC
• Joe Ireland & Julie Weber of JD Ireland

Check out our Photo Gallery of the Cocktail Reception here.

When renowned design duo Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams were styling the photo shoot for the cover of their new book, “The Comfortable Home,” they found themselves searching the room for that special touch—something that would communicate its message to the readers.

“It was serendipitous,” Gold said last night at a signing for the book, “that just off to the side, Bob spotted a bundt cake.” Something clicked.

“‘Bundt cake! Who doesn’t like bundt cake?’” Gold laughs, quoting Williams. The photographer snapped a picture of Gold placing the cake on a dining room table, and with that, the cover shot was done.

Over 10,000 copies have sold in the first five months, and one of the stops on Gold’s book signing tour was at The House Downtown, an ever-welcoming, ever-fresh, just plain comfortable home furnishings boutique in Baltimore’s Belvedere Square.

“The Comfortable Home” offers practical advice for a well styled, well lived-in home. With inspiring full-color photos of rooms that exude the clean, transitional style that has become MG+BW’s trademark, Gold and Williams walk readers through working with color, creating room-to-room transitions, where to save money and where to splurge, and how to furnish smaller spaces, among many other design challenges.

After two decades in the home design business, Gold knows a thing or two about striking the perfect balance between elegance and practicality. “If you can plan a little,” he offers, “you can save a lot.”

Designers, industry pros, The House Downtown staffers, and loyal customers alike toasted MG+BW’s 20th year in business (as well as The House Downtown owner Stephanie Gamble’s birthday) with champagne, enjoyed lively conversation, and indulged in—what else? Bundt cake.

Buy the book at a discounted price HERE.

Click HERE for more photos of the event.

Once again this year, organizers of the Maryland Home & Garden show asked ChesapeakeHome to judge and present an award for the “Best Landscape.”  The two weekend show runs March 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14 this year. A highlight of the show every spring are the professionally landscaped display gardens. Built inside the one of the buildings at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, these display gardens are phenomenal and often include full-size plantings, water features, outdoor structures, paths and patios, outdoor kitchens and dining areas, and more.  This year I tapped Sean Bullock of Woodfield Landscaping and Chad Neal of Whispering Meadows to do the judging and was pleasantly surprised to find that the garden they thought was “best of show” was also chosen by the judges selected by the show organizers.

The 2010 winner in multiple categories was Carroll Landscaping, Inc. Designed and installed by Carroll Landscaping president Robert Jones and his team, this garden featured a unique corner “waterwall,” a beautiful painted wood pergola, a high-end outdoor kitchen, and a naturalistic firepit seating area as well as beautiful landscape plantings.

For ticket information and directions to the show visit mdhomeandgarden.com/spring2010.

To learn more about Carroll Landscaping, Inc., visit carroll-landscaping.com.